Morgan: Today was fantastic for us. The wicket was very good. I thought everything from the way we started – our openers started well. Bairstow and Root were excellent, and then we just took a gamble and it paid off. Didn’t really think it was going to be my day at any point to be honest. I’ve had a bad back, looks like I’m getting old (laughs). There are many guys in the dressing room and who can produce an innings like that – but to match up to the youngsters is amazing.
Naib: How they played after 30 overs was special. Credit to Morgan for how he batted. One of the best innings I’ve ever seen. This wicket was totally different to the ones we’ve been playing on. Mujeeb did really well, did his job.
England win by 150 runs
Nasty finish with Archer hitting Ikram on the helmet with a bouncer. England continue to march on but stronger tests await them. They will face New Zealand and Australia next. England’s batting firepower simply blew Afghanistan out of the contest. This is a day that will be remembered for the extraordinary number of times the ball cleared the ropes. Eoin Morgan, take a bow.
Afghanistan 247/8 in 49.4 overs – Rashid Khan out!
Rashid Khan tries to clear the infield and Jonny Bairstow takes a safe catch at deep cover. Some redemption for Bairstow, who celebrates by fist-bumping the crowd.
Rashid Khan c Bairstow b Jofra Archer 8 (13)
Afghanistan 246/7 in 49 overs– Rashid Khan 8, Ikram 3
Rashid Khan, who has had one of his worst days on the field, tries to hit out Wood. He gets a boundary and almost clears long off. The pacer had a fine day. He was fast and furious and finished with figures of 2/40. Final over coming up.
WICKET! Afghanistan 234/7 in 46.2 overs – Najibullah Zadran out!
Wood is fast and it was too much for Zadran to handle. The stumps are cleaned up again. There was a bit of reverse for the England pacer and it was a lovely use of the scrambled seam. England are inching closer to another win.
WICKET! Afghanistan 234/6 in 45.5 overs – Hashmatullah Shahidi out!
Najibullah Zadran is not hanging around and is going for the big shots at will. Shahidi follows suit but is flummoxed by a clever change of pace from Archer. It hits middle stump and the Afghans lose their sixth. Another knock of grit and pride from Shahidi, who walks off to a warm ovation from the Afghan fans.
H Shahidi b Archer 76 (100)
Afghanistan 222/5 in 44 overs – Shahidi 69, Zadran 20
SIX! Chris Woakes bowls it short and Najibullah Zadran pulls it a long way. Ten runs come from that over. Credit to Afghanistan for fighting till the end.
Afghanistan 210/5 in 42.4 overs – Shahidi 67
WICKET! The Afghanistan innings is falling apart. Mohammad Nabi goes for another six but finds Ben Stokes at long-on. Adil Rashid gets his third. Nabi has to walk back for 9 off 7.
Afghanistan 204/4 in 41 overs – Shahidi 64, Nabi 6
WICKET! England finally have the breakthrough! Adil Rashid gets Asghar Afghan to edge one to Joe Root at slip. The fourth wicket partnership is broken for 94 runs. Afghan departs for 44 off 48. Mohammad Nabi then walks in and clubs the first ball for six. Wattey shot!
Afghanistan 194/3 in 39 overs – Shahidi 62, Afghan 42
And...Afghanistan continue to defy the England pacers. Afghan is now approaching his half-century. They might just register their highest ever World Cup score. More frustration for England.
Afghanistan 172/3 in 35 overs – Shahidi 52, Afghan 31
Shahidi works Rashid behind square and a boundary takes him to his half-century. It’s his second of the tournament and what a brave knock this has been. Remember, he also took a knock on his head.
Afghanistan 160/3 in 34 overs – Shahidi 45, Afghan 29
Dropped! Another one goes down and Bairstow is having a shocker on the field. Here, Afghan gets a life. The England opener comes charging in from fine leg and leans forward to complete the catch but it won’t stick. Archer was the bowler.
Afghanistan 153/3 in 33 overs – Shahidi 45, Afghan 22
More sixes! This time, the former skipper is in on the act, clubbing Rashid over cow cover for maximum. Shahidi then steps out and lofts the ball over long-on for six more. The Afghan fans find their voice. As someone mentioned earlier, it’s a forgettable day for the Rashids. We have had 31 sixes in the match so far.
Afghanistan 140/3 in 32 overs – Shahidi 39, Afghan 15
Smash on the helmet? No problem, says Hasmatullah Shahidi. Wood goes for a few. After a boundary to the fine leg region, the left-hander takes his front leg out and thrashes the ball straight down the ground for a six.
Afghanistan 125/3 in 30 overs – Shahidi 25, Afghan 14
Nasty. Shahidi was hit flush on the helmet off a vicious short delivery from Wood. The batsman was down on the floor and the medics rush onto the field for assistance. Shahidi is on his feet but looks a tad disoriented.
Afghanistan 122/3 in 29 overs – Shahidi 23, Afghan 13
Well, well. Afghanistan are not holding back here. Afghan smashes Rashid into the stands on the leg side for a huge six. Shahidi, in the last ball of the over, tickles it away to the leg side fence. Twelve from the over.
Afghanistan 108/3 in 27 overs – Shahidi 21, Afghan 1
Rashid continues to get turn from a length. Meanwhile, Wood is given another run-in. Eoin Morgan is using the pacer in short bursts here.
Afghanistan 104/3 in 25 overs – Rahmat Shah out!
What a waste of a wicket! It was a full toss and Shah finds Bairstow at deep mid-wicket, who atones for his earlier miss. End of a staunch vigil from Shah. England pick up their third.
R Shah c Bairstow b Rashid 46 (74)
Afghanistan 100/2 in 23 overs – Shah 44, Shahidi 16
Stokes and Shah continue and the latter’s fight takes the team past the 100-run mark. Shahidi is getting bogged down at the crease. The Afghans need this partnership to continue.
Afghanistan 86/2 in 20 overs – Shah 34, Shahidi 12
Is there a drop in intensity in the English camp? Maybe by a touch. While the Afghanistan duo continue to put up a fight, they are not really troubling the scores much. Stokes and Ali control proceeding for England.
Afghanistan 78/2 in 18 overs – Shah 27, Shahidi 11
Shah and Shahidi are putting up a brave fight and have not given England chances so far. Against Moeen Ali, Shah stepped out and deposited it over the long off fence. Stokes was also given the ball and the all-rounder got extra bounce from the surface.
Afghanistan 62/2 in 14 overs – Shah 16, Shahidi 6
Morgan is operating with spin at one end and Wood’s pace at the other. The scoring rate has dropped considerably but the field is spread out at the moment. Afghanistan need almost 10 an over now.
Afghanistan 52/2 in 11.5 overs – Gulbadain Naib out!
It was a lovely little knock from Naib but he was beaten for pace by Wood. A top edge went high up in the air and Buttler ran sideways to complete an excellent catch. Good pace from Wood, who is rewarded in his first over.
G Naib c Buttler b Naib 37 (28)
Afghanistan 44/1 in 9 overs – Naib 35, Shah 7
Naib is on fire. Woakes over-pitches and is clubbed for a couple of boundaries in the over. The first one was an exquisite cover drive that pierced the gap on the off-side. Lovely recovery this from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan 35/1 in 8 overs – Naib 26, Shah 7
The batsmen have settled in but the required rate is steadily climbing up. Archer has dismissed his short-ball plan for now and and is bowling with a more upright seam outside off stump. Just one from the over.
Afghanistan 28/1 in 6 overs – Naib 21, Shah 6
Archer is taken to the cleaners. No, that is not a typo there. Four, Six, Four from the Afghanistan captain’s blade. Naib cleared his front leg and an old fashioned tonk earns him 15 runs from the over. Archer finishes the over with a jaffa to Shah.
Afghanistan 13/1 in 5 overs – Naib 6, Shah 6
Dropped! Woakes should have had Rahmat Shah’s wicket but Bairstow at first slip drops a straightforward chance. It came too quickly for him and clipped his chest. Shah, earlier in the over, played a gorgeous cover drive for a boundary.
Gulbadain Naib is struggling and the physios are out treating him in the middle. Woakes to continue.
Afghanistan 9/1 in 4 overs – Naib 6, Shah 2
Naib shows courage against Archer’s short ball and works it around the corner for a couple of runs. Afghanistan need to steady the ship here and keep wickets in hand. Remember, England have two spinners too.
Afghanistan 6/1 in 3 overs – Noor Ali Zadran out!
And, there goes the first wicket. Nothing shot from Noor Ali Zadran and it cleans up his middle stump. England are up and running and Archer once again provides an early wicket. Monumental task this for Afghanistan.
Noor Ali Zadran b Archer 0 (7)
England finish at 397/6 in 50 Overs
Moeen Ali goes after Dawlat Zadran and the slow deliveries don’t work here. The line was wrong and Ali is so strong down the ground and in front of square. Back-to-back sixes again and England have the record for most sixes hit in an ODI. However, our wait for the first 400 of the tournament continues, England fall three short of it. Nice finish for Moeen Ali.
England 378/6 in 49.1 Overs – Ben Stokes out!
Excellent yorker from Dawlat, who gets his third wicket. He saw Stokes getting across and cleaned him up by clipping leg-stump. This has been a bit of a procession since the 46th over.
Ben Stokes b D Zadran 2 (6)
England 378/5 in 49 Overs – Moeen Ali 14, Stokes 2
Rashid Khan has been hit for a century as Moeen Ali clubs a straight six down the ground. The England all-rounder thumps him over long-on in the final delivery of the over. The leg-spinner keeps going full and it keeps disappearing. There is little turn off the wicket. Rashid Khan, who has figures of 9-0-110-0, is the most expensive bowler in World Cup history.
England 362/5 in 47.4 Overs – Jos Buttler out!
Incredible. England are losing wickets in a heap and Buttler also falls prey to the slower delivery. Once again, it was delivered from the back of the hand. Simple catch for Nabi at mid-off.
J Buttler c Nabi b D Zadran 2 (2)
England 359/4 in 47 Overs – Eoin Morgan out!
The spectacle ends but not without him clearing the ropes three more times in the over, all of them were thumped down the ground. Morgan now holds the record for most sixes hit in an ODI match, 17 in total. He misses his 150 and the slow ball does the trick again for Naib. Another safe catch for Shah at long off. The Afghanistan skipper congratulates his opposite number, who walks off to a standing ovation.
E Morgan c Shah b Naib 148 (71)
England 353/3 in 46.4 Overs – Joe Root out!
Well, there is some respite for Afghanistan as a bowling change works for Naib. Root mistimes a slow delivery and it goes straight to the hands of Shah at long-on. Another fine knock from the England Test skipper, who walks off to loud cheers of R-o-o-o-o-o-t.
J Root c Shah b Naib 88 (82)
England 340/2 in 46 Overs – Root 88, Morgan 129
Goodness, Morgan is mistiming sixes at the moment. His fourteenth of the match comes with a heave down the ground and the ball just about touches the ropes. Six more. Root gets in on the act and gets a couple of boundaries.
England 323/2 in 45 Overs – Root 83, Morgan 118
Oh, poor Rashid Khan! Three sixes from the over. Even Root steps out and dispatches it over long on. Morgan now holds an England record for maximum sixes in an ODI. Two full deliveries are clobbered over long on and deep mid-wicket for his 12th and 13th for the match.
England 302/2 in 44 Overs – Root 76, Morgan 104
England cross 300, again. Root wants to join in on the hitting spree and a cute paddle off Dawlat earns him a boundary. Morgan is not holding back. This time, he targets the cover boundary but can only get a couple.
England 293/2 in 43 Overs – Root 71, Morgan 101
Morgan completes the fourth fastest hundred in World Cup history! What a knock this has been as Rashid Khan is picked apart. Morgan gets to three figures with his 11th six, it went just over long-on. Back problems, you say? This has been some exhibition of power-hitting. Take a bow, Eoin Morgan. Sensational stuff this.
England 272/2 in 42 Overs – Root 69, Morgan 81
Top stuff from Mujeeb. A reverse sweep from Morgan nearly falls straight to the fielder but the batsman survives. Just three from it. Root, meanwhile, is also trying to kick up a gear.
England 269/2 in 41 Overs – Root 67, Morgan 80
Back-to-back sixes once again for Morgan. The fans are loving this and it’s another expensive over from Nabi. It’s flying in all corners now and the England captain nearly knocked over a cameraman with a straight hit. He might just bring up a century in the next five balls at this rate. Afghanistan are in for a leather hunt.
England 255/2 in 40 Overs – Root 66, Morgan 66
Oh, this is imperious hitting from Morgan. He gets his sixth six off a sweep shot against Mujeeb. He follows that up with a slog sweep behind square, which yields another boundary. Quite remarkably, Morgan is now level on scores with Root.
England 241/2 in 39 Overs – Root 65, Morgan 56
Fifty for Morgan as well. You just don’t bowl short to the England captain. Like Rashid a couple of overs ago, Nabi also gets the treatment and the southpaw hammers it many rows back over deep mid-wicket. The sixes keep on coming.
England 232/2 in 38 Overs – Root 64, Morgan 48
Yet another tidy over from Mujeeb. England, once again, are taking no chances against him. Just four from the over.
England 228/2 in 37 Overs – Root 62, Morgan 45
More easy pickings for England and this time it is Root’s turn. The England no 3 dissects the infield like a surgeon and Dawlat gets the treatment. We have not seen a single false shot from Root and that shows the kind of form he has been in.
England 217/2 in 36 Overs – Root 53, Morgan 44
6,6,4 – It’s simply not going Afghanistan’s way and Morgan is leading the charge. Forget running between the wickets, the England skipper is throwing the kitchen sink at it and Rashid Khan is getting the treatment. The leg-spinner, though, could have had Morgan out as well. Dawlat Zadran made an absolute mess of what should have been a regulation take at deep mid-wicket. Did the wind make the ball change direction? Only Dawlat knows but the runs are coming thick and fast off Morgan’s blade.
England 199/2 in 35 Overs – Root 53, Morgan 26
Solid comeback over for Dawlat Zadran with just three coming off it. Root, meanwhile, is struggling with his back – one can see that with his running.
England 196/2 in 34 Overs – Root 51, Morgan 25
Rashid Khan comes back and the batsmen are happy to run ones and twos. England might have more fitness concerns here. Root was seen holding his back after completing his half-century. Morgan, recovering from injury, is running gingerly.
England 189/2 in 33 Overs – Root 50, Morgan 19
Fifty for Joe Root. It has been a busy, steady innings so far from the Test captain. Morgan, meanwhile, is in a hurry. Here, he plays an exquisite reverse sweep off Nabi to get a boundary.
England 183/2 in 32 Overs – Root 49, Morgan 14
Back-to-back sixes for Morgan. He cashes in on a free-hit delivery, watching a slow one all the way through and dispatching it over deep mid-wicket. Then, he steps out and a fuller one from Naib just about sails over long on. The England captain has settled in nicely.
England 168/2 in 31 Overs – Root 48, Morgan 1
Stuttering start for Morgan as Nabi teases him outside off. Better over from the off-spinner and Root completes it by working a couple behind square.
England 164/2 in 29.5 Overs – Jonny Bairstow out!
The inspiration comes from the skipper, who gets a chance to flex his biceps. Bairstow was bogged down there and chipped a slow, back-of-the hand delivery back to the bowler. Much needed breakthrough for Afghanistan. A century was there for the taking and it was a soft dismissal.
J Bairstow c & b Naib 90 (99)
England 163/1 in 29 Overs – Bairstow 90, Root 44
And just like that, Bairstow gets into the nineties. Neat comeback for Mujeeb with just five coming from it. How good has the teenager been today?
Mujeeb back in the attack.
England 158/1 in 28 Overs – Bairstow 87, Root 42
Three from the over as Naib comes back into the attack and keeps the scoring rate in check. Afghanistan needs some inspiration here. Our newsroom is predicting a 400.
England 155/1 in 27 Overs – Bairstow 86, Root 40
This is sumptuous batting from Bairstow. He steps out and dispatches Nabi down the ground for his third six. He is approaching three figures in a hurry. Root is happy to rotate strike and that’s ten from the over.
England 145/1 in 26 Overs – Bairstow 79, Root 38
Root and Bairstow complete a 100-run stand for the second wicket. This has been a hammer blow for Afghanistan. Another boundary for Bairstow, crisply driving Rashid Khan through the covers.
England 139/1 in 25 Overs – Bairstow 74, Root 37
Typical Root: Tap and run. And Typical Bairstow: Waiting for the bad ball before punishing the opposition. He is laying into his SRH teammates here. Four off Nabi as well. Seven from the over.
England 132/1 in 24 Overs – Bairstow 69, Root 35
Bairstow is on the charge! Rashid tries to rush Bairstow and you simply can’t bowl full to the Yorkshireman. He clubs the leg-spinner for a six and a four in the cow corner region. Root and Bairstow are in cruise control. Fourteen from the over.
England 118/1 in 23 Overs – Bairstow 56, Root 34
Nabi is short against Bairstow cuts it away for three runs behind square. As we have seen in the previous overs, when the spinners go fuller and straighter, the batsmen are happy blocking it out. Six from the over.
England 112/1 in 22 Overs – Bairstow 54, Root 30
The brakes are on the score rate. Just three from the over but the England batsmen don’t look frazzled.
England 109/1 in 21 Overs – Bairstow 52, Root 29
Smiles exchanged from Sunrisers Hyderabad teammates Bairstow and Root. Three from the over and respect shown by Bairstow there. The googlies are in full flow action.
England 106/1 in 20 Overs – Bairstow 52, Root 26
FIFTY FOR BAIRSTOW! The England opener gets to his fifty with a crisp cover drive that beats mid-off’s drive. Meanwhile, the umpire has a word with the Afghan skipper. Eight from the over and the England batsmen are trundling along at a steady pace.
England 98/1 in 19 Overs – Bairstow 46, Root 24
Rashid draws Root into a false shot straight away. The England no 3 tries to flick a flipper and the ball clips his pads and bobs up. Six from the over.
FINALLY, Rashid Khan is into the attack.
England 92/1 in 18 Overs – Bairstow 43, Root 21
Bairstow grows in confidence and he hammers a slow delivery from Naib down the ground for a boundary. Drinks called but the momentum has shifted. The England duo have quickly smarted from the loss of Vince.
England 86/1 in 17 Overs – Bairstow 38, Root 20
Root almost has a bit of Virat Kohli about him now. There is intent in his ones and two and is quick to seize on the bad ball. Shah bowled a full toss and it was dispatched to cow cover. Eleven from the over.
England 75/1 in 16 Overs – Bairstow 36, Root 11
Another tidy over from Naib with just three coming from it. Yet again, the England batsmen are put on a leash by their high-scoring standards. Another wicket can help them put the hosts under pressure.
England 72/1 in 15 Overs – Bairstow 34, Root 10
Nabi continues and once again, there is the occasional extra bounce that keeps surprising the batsmen. Much better line this time from the former Afghanistan skipper, four singles from the over.
England 68/1 in 14 Overs – Bairstow 32, Root 8
Jaffa! Shah might have bowled the ball of the day with a delivery that pitched on middle, beat Bairstow’s outside edge and narrowly missed off-stump. However, the England keeper makes amends, smashing a full one over the sightscreen in what was the first six of the day.
Rahmat Shah to ball
England 60/1 in 13 Overs – Bairstow 25, Root 7
Ooh! Root nearly dragged one on following a nervous prod outside off stump. Excellent start from the Afghan skipper, just one from it.
Gulbadain Naib brings himself on. Double change for Afghanistan.
England 59/1 in 12 Overs – Bairstow 24, Root 7
Nabi is too full and short and it arrives at a comfortable length for the batsmen to dispatch them to the boundary. Four each for Bairstow and Root. The Test captain, in particular, looks in supreme touch.
Mohammad Nabi is handed the ball
England 48/1 in 11 Overs – Bairstow 18, Root 2
Another excellent over from Mujeeb but the English batsmen are happy to see him out. He has completed his sixth over. As for Vince, the 20s and 30s won’t help him cement a place in the XI. Those are the standards Jason Roy has set over the past four years.
England 46/1 in 10 Overs – Bairstow 17, Root 1
End of the first powerplay and Afghanistan wouldn’t mind this start. Root is off the mark. England will continue to face the wizardry of Mujeeb.
England 44/1 in 9.3 Overs – James Vince OUT!
Breakthrough for Afghanistan and Vince can’t make use of the lifeline he was offered in the previous Dawlat over. Superb bouncer from the pacer, rushing the batsman, who gets a top-edge and Mujeeb at short third-man makes no mistake.
J Vince c Mujeeb b D Zadran 26 (31)
England 42/0 in 9 overs – Vince 24, Bairstow 17
Mujeeb delights once again. He has figures of 5-0-16-0 at the moment. Once again, it was mix of pace and variations and the batsmen are happy to block them out.
England 40/0 in 8 overs – Vince 23, Bairstow 16
Oh dear, Vince should have made his way back to the pavilion but Nabi failed to pick that up at deep mid-wicket. Was it lost in the sunlight? One never knows but this is a big let-off. Dawlat went slightly short and going by that chance, deliberately, one assumes. There are misfields galore and England are chipping away.
England 32/0 in 7 overs – Vince 15, Bairstow 16
Once again, England show plenty of respect to Mujeeb – just a single and a wide from the over. The Afghan spinner continues to get some spongy bounce. He is also mixing it up well and the England openers remain watchful.
England 30/0 in 6 overs – Vince 14, Bairstow 16
Two boundaries from the over. Looks like the openers have had enough. They are finally getting on the front foot and forcing the bowlers to change their lengths. Slightly short and Bairstow pulls in front of square for a four. Vince then steps out and chips it over the bowler for another boundary but almost found deep mid-wicket in the final ball of the over. Luckily for the opener, it bounced right in front of him.
England 20/0 in 5 overs – Vince 9, Bairstow 11
Bairstow gets his first boundary as Mujeeb misses his length and it’s a drive-able ball outside off. The mid-off fielder can’t get his hand on it. The leggie, though, has not erred much so far. Five from the over.
England 15/0 in 4 overs – Vince 9, Bairstow 6
Dawlat is bending his back here. Loud grunts after finishing his delivery stride is evidence of that. Just a single of the over as Vince can’t clear mid-on. England batsmen in no hurry here.
England 14/0 in 3 overs – Vince 9, Bairstow 5
Five dot ball and a three in the Mujeeb over. The leg-spinner was slower in the air and brought Bairstow forward. The final delivery of the over, though, was full and wide and a misfield at mid-off from a drive allowed the batsmen to complete three.
England 11/0 in 2 overs – Vince 9, Bairstow 2
Vince is up and running and punishes a delivery that was pitched fractionally short. He rolled his wrists on that one and the ball raced to the mid-wicket fence. Zadran corrected his line in the last two balls of the over and was a touch fuller, which worked well. Bairstow is also off the mark.
Dawlat Zadran to bowl the second over.
England 4/0 in 1 over – Vince 4, Bairstow 0
There is a hint of turn but Vince was surprised in the fourth ball of the over – there was bounce on offer there. Two twos from the over and Mujeeb will be encouraged by that start.
Mujeeb Zadran has the ball in the middle. Vince to take strike.
2:58 pm: It’s not a full house by any means. The national anthems are done. Vince and Bairstow make their way to the middle.
Pitch report: Michael Atherton and Clarke say that despite the pitch being dry, it should be a “belter” of a batting wicket at Old Trafford.
Lineupsngland
Afghanistan: Rahmat Shah, Noor Ali Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Gulbadin Naib (c), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Zadran, Dawlat Zadran
England: Jonny Bairstow, James Vince, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood
2:36 pm: Aftab, Zazai and Hamid are not playing for Afghanistan and in come Dawlat, Najibullah and Mujeeb. They are playing with just one seamer. Meanwhile, England have James Vince replacing the injured Jason Roy. Eoin Morgan says Moeen Ali has been chosen in place of Liam Plunkett to lend balance to the side.
2:33 pm: England opt to bat first after winning the toss. “We are looking forward to this. Looks like a very good wicket.” Gulbadain Naib says he would have also batted first on this pitch. “We are trying to do well on the batting side,” says the Afghan captain. The Afghanistan side have three changes while England have a couple, one forced.
2:28 pm: As we get closer to the toss at Old Trafford, here’s a bit of cricketing brilliance we’re sure you’ve never seen before:
2:25 pm: The weather in Manchester looks good. We’re likely to have a full day’s play. The match will be played on the same pitch that was used for the India-Pakistan match on Sunday.
2:18 pm: “It doesn’t matter that England will be considered heavy favourites for the Afghanistan contest – you prepare in the same way as any game, make sure you’re ready for their bowlers and keep yourselves on your toes. Eoin Morgan and the coaches will make sure there are no signs of complacency and it’s about trying not to think of opposition as a lesser nation because then you get in trouble – just play it like any other match.”
It may be clash between David and Goliath today but England women’s team captain Heather Knight believes the hosts won’t take Gulbadin Naib and Co lightly.
Read here.
2:09 pm: This World Cup has been a chastening experience for Afghanistan, with the qualifiers having lost all four of their matches ahead of their daunting clash against hosts England at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
For all the talent of spinners such as Rashid Khan, Afghanistan have not put enough runs on the board – a problem exemplified by their failure to chase down 187 in 41 overs against Sri Lanka.
Read the match preview here.
2:03 pm: Hello everyone and welcome to the live coverage of match No 24 of this ICC World Cup 2019. Today, hosts England take on Afghanistan at Old Trafford in Manchester.